Service Training

Self Study Program 890153

Volkswagen MIB II Infotainment System
Design and Function
Version 2

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Volkswagen Academy
Printed in U.S.A.
Printed 8/2015 Version 2
Course Number SSP 890153

©2015 Volkswagen Group of America, LLC.
All rights reserved. All information contained in this manual is based
on the latest information available at the time of printing and is
subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and
its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time
without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored
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may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites without
the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.
All requests for permission to copy and redistribute information should
be referred to Volkswagen Group of America, LLC.
Always check Technical Bulletins and the latest electronic repair
information for information that may supersede any information
included in this booklet.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this manual
are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks;
and are the property of their respective owners.

Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MIB II Versions for North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Composition Color............................................................................................................................................ 4
Composition Media......................................................................................................................................... 6
Discover Media................................................................................................................................................. 8
Discover Pro.................................................................................................................................................... 10

MIB II Media Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Media Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Bluetooth Connectivity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Smartphone Integration through App-Connect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CarPlay............................................................................................................................................. 21
androidauto..................................................................................................................................... 24
MirrorLink........................................................................................................................................ 27

Knowledge Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Note

This Self-Study Program provides information regarding
the design and function of new models.
This Self-Study Program is not a Repair Manual. This
information will not be updated.

Important!

For maintenance and repair procedures,
always refer to the latest electronic service
information.

i

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Introduction
Progress
Volkswagen of America introduced the MIB (Modularer Infotainment Baukasten or Modular Infotainment System) generation
of radios in the 2015 Golf models. These systems continued the progression to enhance the information and entertainment
systems in Volkswagen vehicles.
For 2016 models, except for Touareg and Eos, Volkswagen continues to enhance the Infotainment systems with the introduction
of the MIB II. The MIB II systems look similar to the original MIB systems, but have faster processing and more capabilities. This
SSP will introduce you to the benefits of the MIB II systems.

1

MIB II Versions
MIB I vs MIB II Configuration
The MIB I radios were only available in the North American Region for the Golf VII vehicles, particular to the MQB vehicle
design. The configurations of these were relatively identical, with a G683 Front Information Display Control Head for the user
interface, and the J794 Control Module for Information Electronics located inside of the glove box.

+
G683 Front Information Display Control Head

J794 Control Module for Information Electronics

MIB II Configurations
The MIB II radio will have two different configurations for the North American Market, even though the capabilities and
specifications will be the same. Vehicles built on the MQB platform will receive the same hardware configurations as the MIB I
systems. However, vehicles that are not yet built on the MQB platform will have:
• A double-DIN configuration without a separate J794
• SD and CD/DVD slots in the radio face
• No Car button on the radio face. Any Car functions are performed using the MFI and/or buttons on the glove box

MIB II for MQB

2

Non-MQB MIB II

MIB II Versions
North American MIB II Versions
There are four versions of the MIB II for the North American market:
• Composition Color
• Composition Media
• Discover Media
• Discover Pro

Even though all versions have very similar functions, not all versions have exactly the same features and capabilities. They vary
slightly between vehicle platforms, depending the capabilities of each vehicle platform.

3

MIB II Versions
Composition Color
Technical Features
• 5-inch color resistive touchscreen
• Six side keys for functions
• Single-disc, MP3 compatible CD player
• Eight speakers (4 X 20 Watt output)
• AUX-IN and SD card slot in radio face
• One USB input that operates like an AUX-IN input,
but provides charging capability
• Bluetooth with audio capability (HFP, A2DP, PBAP, AVRCP)
• Static display of photo files using SD card (JPEG and PNG)
• Double tuner with phase diversity for radio signal reception

S518_035

• Not compatible with Car-Net features
• No hard drive storage for music or image files

S546_210

4

MIB II Versions

Electrical Connections
The electrical connections are on the back of the housing and only
accessible when the unit has been removed.
The polarity-protected connections sockets are:
• Quadlock socket for power, speakers, etc
• FM1/AM socket
• FM2 socket

S518_033

FM1/AM and
FM2 Socket

Quadlock Socket

5

MIB II Versions
Composition Media
Technical Features
All functions of the Composition Color plus:
• 6.5 or 6.33-inch capacitive touchscreen with proximity
sensors, depending on model
• Swipe and zoom gesture capability
• Golf models have (1) SD and (1) CD input in glove box. All
other versions have (1) SD and (1) CD in the face of the MIB
unit
• Golf models will have the CAR hard key on the face of the
MIB unit. Other models will access CAR menus using the MFI

S518_037

• 1 smartphone-compatible USB port.
–– This port is backwards compatible and will charge and
import media from iPods, MP3 devices, etc. using the
device’s USB cable. It operates like the MDI in previous
vehicles.
–– iPods and other media devices are not integrated into
App-Connect and can be accessed through the Media
hardkey

S546_035

–– More USB ports may be available depending on model
and trim
• Eight side keys for functions. Hardkeys may vary between
MQB and non-MQB units
• Compatible with Car-Net App-Connect, Security and Service
features. MQB models offer the ThinkBlue Trainer for ecotips

S546_211

6

MIB II Versions

Electrical Connections
Operating and Display Unit
• Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS) to J794,
the Information Electronics Control Module

CAN-Bus and Power

• CAN-Bus and power supply connection

J794 Control Module for Information Electronics
• FM1/AM/FM2
• DAB (optional)
• USB
• Connection for the Front Information Display
Control Unit
• Quadlock
S518_029

LVDS to J794

S518_026

LVDS to the Front
Information Display
Control Unit

FM1/AM

FM2

USB
DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting (HD Radio))

Quadlock Socket

NOTE!
MIB II units may have different
configurations between MQB
and non-MQB platforms.
See Page 2 of this SSP for
more information

7

MIB II Versions
Discover Media
Technical Features
All functions of the Composition Media plus:
• Navigation module with 2D/3D map display
• Navigation can be entered in a single string of text instead of
needing to enter state, city and street first
• Three routes can be calculated:
–– Shortest time
–– Shortest distance
–– Economical
• Speed limit display

S518_034

• Dynamic route guidance (four years no charge, using Sirius
Traffic)
• Sirius Travel Link
• Preset Point of Interests (POIs)
• Completely Car-Net compatible:
–– App-Connect
S546_043

–– Guide and Inform
–– Security and Service
• Golf models have two SD card inputs and a CD input in
glove box. All other versions have SD and CD slots in the
face of the MIB unit
–– Either SD input can be used for navigation data

S546_213

8

MIB II Versions

Electrical Connections
Operating and Display Unit
CAN-Bus and Power

• Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS) to J794,
the Information Electronics Control Module
• CAN-Bus and power supply connection

J794 Control Module for Information Electronics
• FM1/AM/FM2
• DAB (optional)
• USB
• Connection for the Front Information Display
Control Unit
• GPS
• Quadlock

S518_029

LVDS to J794

S518_027

GPS

FM1/AM

FM2

USB
DAB (Digital Audio
Broadcasting (HD
Radio))

LVDS to the Front
Information Display
Control Unit

Quadlock Socket

NOTE!
MIB II units may have different
configurations between MQB
and non-MQB platforms.
See Page 2 of this SSP for
more information

9

MIB II Versions
Discover Pro
Technical Features
All functions of the Discover Media plus:
• 8-inch color touchscreen display
• Navigation with 3D landmarks, 3D city map and Personal
POI
• DVD player
• Playback of various film formats (AVI, MPEG, Divx, H264)
• Podcast playback
• Integrated Gracenote database (adds artist and title
information to music files played)

S518_036

• WLAN hotspot
• Two SD card slots and a single slot CD/DVD located in the
glove box

S546_033

S546_214

10

MIB II Versions

Electrical Connections
Operating and Display Unit
CAN-Bus and Power

• Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS) to J794,
the Information Electronics Control Module
• CAN-Bus and power supply connection

J794 Control Module for Information Electronics
• GPS
• FM1/AM/FM2
• DAB (optional)
• USB
• Connection for the Front Information Display
Control Unit
• Quadlock

S518_029

LVDS to J794

S518_028

Optical Connection to Amplifier

USB
GPS

FM1/AM

FM2

Quadlock Socket
LVDS to the Front
Information Display
Control Unit

DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting (HD Radio))

NOTE!
MIB II units may have different
configurations between MQB
and non-MQB platforms.
See Page 2 of this SSP for
more information

11

Media Inputs
MIB II Media Inputs
Multiple media inputs are available, depending on the
version of MIB II that you have, or the options on the
vehicle. This section will cover all available media inputs.

Standard for all MIB II radios is a USB and AUX-IN jack.
This is located in front of the shifter, under the infotainment
head or in the center console.
S546_023

Single USB and AUX-IN Interface

USB inputs vary between vehicle models and trim levels.
These may or may not include additional AUX-IN jacks or
USB ports.
An additional USB Port may be located on the rear of the
center armrest, accessible to the rear seat occupants.
Any secondary USB input will charge and support audio
integration, but willl not support App-Connect.

12

S546_023

S546_021

Single USB and AUX-IN Interface plus Additional USB Port

Media Inputs
Connections
If the vehicle has only the front AUX-IN and USB ports, they
are connected directly to the Information Electronics Control
Module 1 J794.
If the additional USB connection is included on the vehicle,
an additional USB distributor is used. This USB distributor
module is located under the center console, next to the
shifter assembly.
The ports connect to the USB hub, then to J794 using LVDS
communication.
The rear USB port will charge and act as a media interface,
but will not have App-Connect functionality.

J794
R293
LVDS
U37

S546_037

R199

Key
J794
R199
R293
U37
LVDS

Information Electronics Control Module 1
External Audio Source Connection
USB Distributor
USB Charging Socket 1 (data-enabled)
Low Voltage Differential Signaling

Note: With the above configuration, the Apple authentication chip is located inside of R293.